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Coyote predates man for claims on North America

Carol Reese, Special to The Sun
Published 9:00 a.m. CT Dec. 18, 2017

In this photo provided by the New York City Police Department’s Special Operations Division, a female coyote lay in an animal carrier after being captured by Special Operations officers on Manhattan’s west side, Saturday, April 25, 2015, in New York. The police released the coyote to the custody of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where she is being cared for. A string of recent sightings in Manhattan has drawn new attention to the wily critters that have been spotted periodically in New York since the 1990s.(New York City Police Department Special Operations Division via AP)(Photo: AP)

I was walking on a field road into a blustery wind on the family farm in Mississippi.

A coyote slid from the rippling tawny broomsedge, and trotted ahead of me for precious minutes, close enough to see the longer blacktipped hairs blow, revealing softer golden fur beneath.

The wind shifted and it wheeled to look at me before leaping back into the grasses.

Many people would have shot this lithe animal as it went about doing what coyotes do, hunting rodents and rabbits, and digging for grubs.

While they might robbed that coyote of its life and its pack of a family member, the killing would have done little to diminish coyote populations.

Coyotes have demonstrated that they flourish in spite of having no legal protection. They can be shot, trapped, or snared anytime of year. There are no bag limits, and the use of poison is still an option in 16 states.

Thousands of deaths attributed to these poisons include bear, eagle, vulture, raven, cougar, fox, pet dogs, and many more examples of “collateral damage”.

A 14-year-old boy also came into contact with an unmarked device that spewed cyanide in his face. He rinsed as much as he could with snow and survived.. His yellow lab, Casey, did not.

In spite of these efforts (some 500,000 are killed each year), it is the coyote that laughs last. Astonishingly, their numbers continue to grow.

The decline of other large predators helped them spread into parts of the country where they had been uncommon. Coyotes produce larger litters when populations are reduced, so rebound quickly.

Young adults move into new territories to start their own families. Shooting one coyote, or killing all of a litter in the den simply makes room for a new pack, and it follows that killing local coyotes that are not causing problems simply makes room for a group that may not be as well-mannered. Left alone, coyote populations tend to stabilize and learn to be wary.

Those who believe our wild areas are healthier eco-systems with the presence of a large predator recommend methods of non-lethal livestock protection. Cows close to calving and small calves can be kept close and protected with electric fence.

Guard dogs, llamas, mules and donkeys can be effective. Studies show that livestock predation is reduced when farmers change old methods of disposal of dead livestock. Dragging carcasses to a farm “boneyard” simply teaches coyotes to like the taste of livestock.

I’ll support the shooting of a nuisance coyote, but if a person hunts them for “sport”, I beg them to reconsider. The spine-tingling call of the coyote has welcomed the night over on this continent for a million years, much longer than we have been here.

I’d tell them it’s an honor to hear the ancient evening song and to have the rare moment of exchange with those golden eyes.